


Resettling

by asoka



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 23:27:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9571610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asoka/pseuds/asoka
Summary: An attempted conversation.





	

A few hours after Justin left for New York, there was a knock on Brian's door.

'Open up!' 

'Use your key, Mikey!' Brian yelled back, annoyed. He turned his face back into his bedding and snarled.

'Open the door, Brian!' Michael called again.

There was a long pause before Brian yelled, 'What, are you a vampire now?'

There was an even longer pause. 

'Vampires can use a standing invitation!' Brian tried again.

The silence continued. Clearly Michael wasn't going to discuss the current contents of his key fob through the door.

Aching, Brian dragged himself up and over to him.

'All right, Mikey?' he asked, sliding the door open but looming over his friend, blocking him. Leaning into him.

Michael pushed him with a grin, saying, 'I heard about your missus walking out on you -'

'I don't need tea and sympathy, Michael, especia-'

'- and I stole some fancy whisky Ben got from work last year.'

As Brian relaxed slightly, Michael pushed past him into the flat, briefly pulling his friend into a half hug before heading behind the kitchen counter.

'I'm tired, Mikey,' Brian said, dropping his shoulders and walking around to the other side, pulling up one of the designer spindly chairs he half mistrusted.

'I know.' Michael tossed a nearby dishrag over his shoulder and settled two glasses next to the rather decent bottle he'd brought. 'Neat?' 

Brian looked at him from under his brow. There was some tension in his friend's shoulders.

'No, barkeep. Ice,' he said, adding grudgingly, 'Soda, too.'

'Really?' Michael asked, eyebrows raised.

'Well, no,' Brian admitted. 'Ice. And we can order some food.'

'Food?' Michael asked, still sounding surprised.

'No, Michael, whisky neat and poppers, and then we'll go to Babylon,' Brian said, standing up to go back to bed.

Michael reached over and pulled him back, squeezing his arm.

'Right, no, sorry. Ice. And Chinese?' 

'Steak. Fridge. Defrosting,' Brian said, shrugging him off and sitting back down. 'I'll not have you disrespecting this whisky any more than you have to.'

He took a sip and exhaled, savouring.

'I didn't really steal it,' Michael admitted a moment later, elbow-deep in the fridge. 'He's still Zen Ben. But you let me in.'

Brian stayed quiet.

'I was worried you wouldn't,' Michael went on, setting the meat down next to the sink. 'And I've already ordered Chinese.'

'And you'd have watered down the whisky if the bottle wasn't new, no doubt,' Brian intoned.

'I thought maybe we could - talk.' Michael turned and looked over at him. 'I know it's not the best time.'

'It is not, no,' Brian admitted, and his own shoulders tensed. 'Tell me, Mikey.'

'Oh no, no - everything's fine. Everybody's fine. We put Justin on a plane, he's probably landed by now, he told me he'd call you -'

'He did. He's fine.'

'Good, yeah.' Michael held up his own glass. 'To Justin. And New York.'

Brian poured himself a fresh glass. 

'To Justin.' 

They drank, but only Michael put down his glass.

'It's just that - I know, with Linds and with Justin, I know they're family - my family too, my baby, too - ' Michael stopped. 'I know you're not interested in feelings, and many of them are superfluous, but - and I probably didn't start this off right by forgetting to put your key back on the fob -'

Brian waited.

'But, Brian, I just wanted you know that we're still here. That I'm here, that ma is here, that Emmett and Teddy and - that I'm still here. That I'm still your family.' 

'Michael-'

'Not your only family, it's not that. It's not about - changing anything. Artificially.' Michael straightened his arms and leaned on the bar. 'People change. I like that. Afterwards. Changing hurts, yeah, but we're probably better now.'

'Getting better all the time, Mikey,' Brian said, leaning back. 'Or not.'

'Yes, and - but. But. There have to be things that don't change.' Michael leaned back too, squaring his shoulders a little. 'I know we'll all die at some point. I know bad things will keep happening, at some point. And I know that the people who've - left us behind. That they weren't wrong.'

Brian sighed. 

'Michael, Justin didn't -'

'I know. I know. He didn't do anything wrong. And if you decide to go with him, you won't be doing anything wrong.'

Brian stayed quiet.

'What do you want me to do with the steak?' Michael asked, turning away.

'Put it back.'

'And go away?' Michael asked, his voice rising.

'No, you drama queen, you just said you ordered - '

There was a knock.

Michael went to pay, a sheepish look on his face.

Brian sighed and got the cutlery.

\---

Fed and watered, Brian leaned back onto the couch. Michael had slid to the floor. They were half-watching John Wayne strut. 

'Mikey,' Brian said, 'Remember when we didn't talk about stuff?'

Michael looked up at him.

'Well, just supposing,' Brian said, sliding off the couch onto the floor next to him and pulling him close, 'Just supposing, maybe that's one of the things that doesn't have to change?'

Michael opened his mouth, and then rolled his eyes. He was still for a moment and then, exhaling, he butted his head against Brian's shoulder and settled in.


End file.
